MANILA — The governor of Cagayan province is opposing the national government’s move to expand the United States' access to Philippine military bases as part of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

Manila and Washington last week announced a deal give US troops access to another 4 bases in the face of China's military rise. Authorities have yet to announce the locations, but reports said Cagayan -- which faces China, Taiwan and the Korean peninsula -- was being considered as a possible site.

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Speaking to TeleRadyo, Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba said he believed residents of his province do not want conflict with any of the Philippines' neighbors.

“Anything foreign forces ay hindi po welcome sa atin (is not welcome here). This is my personal opinion 'no, I still have to consult our people at least. Pero sa tingin ko ay tama po (but I think this is right),” he said.

“And lalong-lalo na kung ito ay para sa away lang ng ibang bansa. Hindi po namin kaaway ang any of our neighbors -- not Taiwan, not China, not Japan, not Korea. Para sa amin po, hindi po namin sila kaaway.”

(Especially if it is for war with other countries. We have no enemies among our neighbors. Not Taiwan, not China, not Japan, not Korea. For us, they are not our enemies.)

The EDCA allows US troops to rotate through 5 Philippine bases, including those near disputed waters. It also allows the US military to store defense equipment and supplies on those bases.

Beijing's growing assertiveness on Taiwan and its building of bases in the disputed South China Sea have given fresh impetus to Washington and Manila to strengthen their partnership.

Given its proximity to Taiwan and its surrounding waters, cooperation from the Philippines would be key in the event of a conflict with China, which a 4-star US Air Force general has warned could happen as early as 2025.

The 4 new locations bring the total number of sites accessible to US forces to 9.

Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez told reporters the location of the new sites would be made public after local communities and officials had been consulted.

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Mamba said the presence of foreign troops could hurt the Philippines’ relationship with China.

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“Sa akin po ang ganda din ng relationship natin with China... Sila po yung tumutulong sa amin dito, nagpapadala ng pagkain… And we have a lot of Chinese, from the Chinese business people dito,” the governor said.

(We have a good relationship with China. They send food and other things. And we have a lot of Chinese in our business community.)

“There was never history na sila po ay sinaktan kami dito or they became a threat to us,” he added.

(They have never hurt us or became a threat to us.)

“Hindi naman ako pro-China. Hindi rin naman ako pro-America (I am neither pro-China nor pro-America). I am pro-Cagayan. I am for our country, our province,” Mamba said.

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— With a report from Agence France-Presse